$.01--Congratulations to the Los Angeles Rams, the winners of Super Bowl LVI. A close game came down to the very end, and in the end, the Rams’ big-time performers delivered the team’s second world championship.

Aaron Donald sealed the deal with a fantastic third-down tackle and a fourth-down pressure that forced Joe Burrow into an awkward desperation fling. It followed an impressive touchdown drive from Matthew Stafford, leading the Rams offense down the field for a go-ahead score and hitting Cooper Kupp for what proved to be the game-winning score.

Despite the close score and late-game tension, it wasn't a great game. The Bengals did almost nothing of note after the first two drives of the second half. The Rams ran their way into three straight 3-and-outs after that, too. There was no overarching pace or urgency to the game until the very end, or so it felt while watching it from afar. It was not a very impressive display of actual football for much of the night for such an up-in-the-air outcome.

Despite the humdrum Super Bowl action itself, the finale put a bow on what might be the NFL’s greatest postseason ever. Nearly every game came down to the final play of the final drive. A great new wave of quarterbacks showed the future of the game is in bright hands. It was a postseason for the ages, one that should be remembered for years as the best the NFL has to offer. Fans tuned in with record numbers to witness it all, too. For all the (valid) complaints we like to have about the NFL, it’s still the king of the entertainment world. The Rams wear the crown as the best of the best at the end of one of the NFL’s best years.

$.02--Some years, there is a clear-cut choice for Super Bowl MVP. This was not one of those years…

The voters in Los Angeles chose Rams wideout Cooper Kupp for the honor. Kupp had a great game, particularly down the stretch. He came up huge on the final scoring drive and capped it by hauling in the game-winning TD pass, finishing the game with eight catches for 92 yards and two TDs, plus a huge run that kept a drive alive too. But there was just as compelling of an argument for Rams superhuman defensive tackle Aaron Donald to capture the honor.

Donald effectively ended the Bengals chances with two insanely good plays on the final Cincinnati drive of the game. He had two sacks on prior drives, too. His impact on Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense was felt all night.

If I were voting, I would have split it between the two. Kupp should feel zero shame in winning the award over Donald, but it’s foolish to think Donald wasn’t as important in creating the Rams victory. Von Miller and Matthew Stafford deserve some mention, too. And in a way, that illustrates why the Rams prevailed--they had multiple key players step up when the team needed it the most. The Bengals couldn’t quite match that depth of impact talent. Nobody could in the 2021 season.

$.03--For whatever reason, this Cleveland native has been a Detroit Lions fan for over 40 years. Like the rest of the Lions nation, I watched Super Bowl LVI in eager anticipation of seeing how Matthew Stafford would fare in the biggest game of his life. Going into the game, I wasn't sure how to feel about watching the best Lions QB of the Super Bowl era finally playing to win one in another uniform.

The game turned out like so many games Stafford played in Detroit. After some shaky moments, he delivered in the clutch. Stafford led a 15-play, 72-yard scoring drive to lead the Rams from a 20-16 deficit to a 23-20 lead, hitting Cooper Kupp with what proved to be the game-winner with just over a minute to play.

In that moment, I found myself pulling for Stafford. I wasn't one of those people who liked the "Detroit Rams" shirts or felt the need for any sweeping statement on Stafford from this game. I was basically indifferent, to be honest. But when he got the ball back with a chance to lead a game-winning drive, I was firmly behind No. 9.

Just as he did 38 times in 12 seasons in Detroit — six more than any other quarterback in the NFL in that timeframe — Stafford led his team on a game-winning drive for a comeback victory. For the third game in a row, Stafford did it in a postseason game. That should effectively kill any of the ridiculous "Stat Padford" narratives that too many people who should know better still love to spew out. When given the chance to lead a game-winning drive in a meaningful game, Stafford did it three times in a row. He's now got a Super Bowl ring to show for it.

He didn't do it alone. Aaron Donald snuffed out the last-gasp Bengals drive by himself, ruining the final two Cincinnati offensive plays. Kupp perked up late in the game once Rams head coach Sean McVay remembered he was on the team and stopped running the ball. The offensive line clamped down the Bengals pass rush late, too. Giving Stafford all the credit is an embarrassing disservice to his teammates. Kupp won the MVP for his two touchdown receptions, and the award just as easily could have gone to Donald.

In the end, I'm happy for Stafford. Genuinely happy. It's disappointing that it never happened in Detroit, and he bears some of the blame for that. No doubt about it. But when he was traded a little over a year ago, that chapter ended. I'm a Lions fan above any one player. I was among the many who moved on without a lot of emotion. I'm a Lions fan above any one player. That can be a frustrating existence, but you can't change where your heart lies.

The whole book should be closed now for Detroit and Lions fans, and it was a happy ending for Stafford and the Rams. They went all-in and it worked, a lesson I hope the new Lions regime takes to heart. The rest of the league should, too.

This cent previously appeared on Lions Wire but has been edited for clarity

$.04--The halftime show

I’m not a hip-hop guy, but the 90s era of that genre does hold some sway for me. And we were treated to the best of the time. And Dr. Dre, Snoop, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Kendrick nailed it. Nailed it.

The performances, while a little sweaty in the heat for the 50-something-year-old performers, were sharp. I knew all of the songs despite not being a hip-hop fan. It was engaging, smartly choreographed and played to the strengths of each act.

What really stood out was the set design. The vintage cars, the stages inside houses and using the space above them, the entire staging surrounded by what looked like a vinyl record, it was perfect. It also led to a very easy transition from performer to performer, maximizing the music and not needing to have someone emerge awkwardly to the set. Production value matters and the captivating set made it flow as well as Dre’s verses. Nothing outlandish, nothing overtly oversexualized, nothing gimmicky--the music was the centerpiece and the performers were great. So was the dance troupe enhancing the visuals.

It was one of my favorites and better than any in recent memory. You don’t always have to like the music to be entertained, but the familiarity helped this middle-aged metalhead enjoy it even more. It doesn’t top Prince playing in the rain back in 2007, but this is right there after it in terms of overall halftime product.

$.05--Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the Washington Commanders!

The squad formerly known as the Washington Football Team unveiled their new moniker and jersey designs. The general reaction from the fans is one of understated indifference and bemusement, befitting the lackluster team itself.

Commanders isn’t a bad choice, per se. It’s unique and aspirational, and it (kinda) fits the local region with the Commander in Chief residing a short drive away. It’s not one that’s easy to mock for opposing fans, unlike the WFT and its easily transposable letters. Then again, it’s hard to come up with a sheer or a cool slogan other than “Take Command”, which sounds more like a Nutrisystem ad featuring a once-famous actress than something you yell at a football game.

I would have preferred RedTails or even Red Wolves, hearkening back to the old name without any of the racially insensitive connotations. In that sense, Commanders seems somewhat generic. But that might be exactly why it’s a good fit for Washington’s football team. After all the chaos and legal tribulations surrounding scandalous owner Daniel Snyder, a new name that’s a drive right down the middle is a savvy choice. Here’s hoping the newly minted nickname doesn’t command attention away from the ongoing lawsuits surrounding Snyder and the team’s luridly unsavory conduct.

$.06--One of the highlights of every Super Bowl weekend is the revelation of the year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame induction class. The Hall of Fame class of 2022:

Tony Boselli

Cliff Branch

LeRoy Butler

Sam Mills

Richard Seymour

Bryant Young

Coach Dick Vermeil

Official Art McNally

It’s always tough to quibble with any of the enshrinees. In this year’s group, Branch and Seymour stand out as the top of the class in my eyes. It’s surprising it took so long for Branch to get in. I was a huge Sam Mills fan from his days in the original USFL and it’s great to see him get in, albeit posthumously. Vermeil unquestoinably belongs too.

The one change I would have made in this year’s class would be to bump Boselli for Demarcus Ware. That’s much more about Ware’s play than any degradation of Boselli, who was among the best OTs in the game but for only a limited time due to injuries. Ware was a better player for longer and that deserves the acclaim. Boselli played in just 91 career games, barely half of Ware’s exemplary career as a pass rushing force. That should matter more.

$.07--During the Senior Bowl week, the Brian Flores lawsuit against the NFL for its discriminatory hiring practices dropped like a bomb. It was an awkward time for the news to hit, to say the least.

Flores’ lawsuit and comments shine a needed light on the lack of minority coaches. The trick for the NFL now is to somehow improve what they’re doing without also looking incredibly guilty of all the allegations Flores and others have lobbed at them. It’s a massive challenge for commissioner Roger Goodell.

A few weeks ago I offered up one potential solution: not allowing teams to rehire white coaches who were failures. While in Mobile I was involved in some discussion with some other folks and heard another that I really liked that bleeds from a similar vein. It’s the idea that GMs need a “show-cause” to hire a retread white coach over a qualified Black coach. Using the Jaguars and their recent move as an example, they would have to justify to an advisory council why they’re hiring Doug Pederson as the new head coach. Pederson’s hiring certainly passes the sniff test; the man won a Super Bowl within the last five years and proved he can develop talent.

This sort of plan should prevent guys like Adam Gase from being hired by the Jets after his punchline of a job performance he did in Miami. An NFL team interested in (as examples) Bill O’Brien or Matt Nagy or Jim Schwartz over an up-and-coming Black candidate like Aaron Glenn or Eric Beiniemy or Demeco Ryans would need to present a very good case as to why they want to do such a thing. And there might be valid reasons, though it’s hard to think of any really good ones. But making them present the case for it will do two things.

First, it makes the organizations think about what they’re doing. Are they hiring out of familiarity and comfort, or do they have a compelling case? Second, it offers deeper discussion into the viable candidacy of the Black coaches. And this is important; it will help curb the “he’s only getting hired because he’s Black” cries that we unfortunately all know are coming. Flores himself is insinuating that very line with the Texans hiring Lovie Smith--the first Black coach to ever get a third head coaching position--instead of him.

$.08--NFL quickies

--There is considerable speculation about the future of Kyler Murray in Arizona. Murray removed all traces of the Cardinals from his social media, and numerous reports from credible sources indicate he’s frustrated with the team and feels like he’s being scapegoated for the late-season collapse.

Here’s an unwelcome news flash for Murray: that’s the responsibility that comes with being a No. 1 overall pick and a franchise quarterback. Perhaps he can ask Matthew Stafford for some advice after Stafford uneasily dealt with that for over a decade in Detroit. I don’t think Murray is going anywhere in 2022, but pay close attention to his reaction when the Cardinals pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract this offseason.

--Another QB situation to watch is in Indianapolis and Carson Wentz. The oft-injured Wentz played poorly down the stretch, contributing heavily to the Colts missing the playoffs despite a strong midseason surge where the team won 9 games in 12 weeks. Cutting Wentz outright is prohibitively expensive for Indianapolis, but there’s a chance a desperate team (hello Pittsburgh!) could trade for him and hope for the best for a year or two.

--One place where I don’t expect QB drama is in Cleveland. Baker Mayfield will be the team’s starter in 2022, for better or for worse. It’s a simple conclusion: the Browns trotted out an obviously injured Mayfield over highly-paid and well-regarded backup Case Keenum because they believed No. 6 gave them the best chance to win even with a broken left shoulder. If that doesn’t tell you how they feel about Mayfield, you don’t understand the Browns.

--Early odds for the next Super Bowl are already out. The reigning champion Rams aren’t the favorites, while the Bengals aren’t even in the top two AFC teams. The Chiefs and Bills have the best odds, which vary across sportsbooks. Might be a good time to invest in the teams who have proven they can get there…

$.09--Senior Bowl winners

I didn’t get much of a chance to write anything about my 13th Senior Bowl as a credentialed media member. Here are a few of the players who stood out in a positive light during a soggy week in Mobile.

Travis Jones, DT, UConn--Proved capable of being a 3-down nose tackle, one with just enough pocket-collapsing potential to leave in for pass rush purposes. I didn’t see him moved backward in a drill or team session all week. Solid second-round prospect with an NFL-ready game. He’s a better all-around prospect than Alim McNeill from a year ago, and McNeill was impressive as a third-round rookie in Detroit.

Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia--Wyatt showed very good hand usage and technique to go with unnatural quickness for a guy who weighs over 300 pounds. He won with both power and quickness in drills. Like Commanders (yeah it’s still weird to type it) DL Jonathan Allen, Wyatt can play all over the defensive interior and succeed.

Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor--It was not a strong week in general for the safeties, but Pitre is a notable exception. His range, quickness and ability to play the ball in the air were all the best of the class in Mobile. Natural coverage skills showed in 1-on-1 drills enough that he was better at it than many of the National team CBs.

Braylon Sanders, WR, Ole Miss--A slippery slot receiver, Sanders showed an uncanny ability to win off his initial release from the line. Quicker-than-fast but also fairly fast, Sanders had the most consistent hands of any wideout on either team. North Dakota State’s lanky Christian Watson got a lot more publicity but Sanders was the more reliable threat.

Jordan Stout, P, Penn State--Yeah, a punter. Normally I strongly advocate against drafting a specialist, but Stout can be a worthy exception. During Tuesday’s practice session he was disrupting drills at the other end of the field by booming balls 70-plus yards in the air. When the coaches asked him to aim it more to the other sideline, he complied and still rocked it.

$.10--The ads

Many folks watch the Super Bowl for the commercials as much as the game action itself. I’m not one of those people, but I did try to take note of the commercials I really liked and disliked.

The new Jurassic World movie trailer was incredibly well-done. And I will see the movie as a result, so I guess that counts as a win.

Rakuten’s “Get the Cat” was a fun tagline from an otherwise confusing visual soup of a commercial.

The Coinbase ad that was just a QR code bouncing around the screen was almost as big of a waste of money as an NFT.

The flaming hot Doritos ad with the random animals singing Salt & Pepa was a hard miss. Not weird enough to be weirdly entertaining, trying too hard.

Uber Eats “don’t eat not food” hawking their delivery of non-food items was brilliant. Big hit with the family.

The entire family also liked the Superior Bowl ad from Michelob Ultra featuring Peyton Manning, Jimmy Butler and Serena Williams.

The Chevy Silverado electric ad apparently resonated with folks who are familiar with The Sopranos. As someone completely unfamiliar with that show, the ad made zero sense. Nice looking truck though.

Toyota Tundra “keeping up with the Jones” ad was very good.

Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd for Frito-Lay was a definite winner. I’ll be sick of it in a week but it was great the first time.

Jerod Mayo hawking mayonnaise and laying out the freakishly pale guy from SNL was a definite highlight

Pringle hand made my wife laugh out loud, so there’s that…

The electric Kia car ad with the electric dog wins if for no other reason than excellent usage of “Total Eclipse of the Heart”.

Was not a fan of the CGI in the new Lord of the Rings feature. Also, the ad didn’t let us know if it was a movie, a series or something else.

Big win for the Alexa ad and the capper with oysters being left in the car. Even the 16-year-old son loved that one.

Overall it wasn’t a standout year for the advertisers. Lots of B-plus ads, a few with nice repeat watchability, but nothing that seized America by storm.